Common Emergencies During Pregnancy In Female Dogs

Paying attention to pets is always important, but during pregnancy, this care must be exhaustive to avoid the risks associated with such a delicate period.

The gestation period in bitches is one of the most critical and, therefore, permanent attention to the animal’s health status is essential. During these two months, all kinds of situations can occur that put the integrity of the female’s reproductive system at risk, but there can also be emergencies that threaten her life and that of the puppies.

For all these reasons, we find it essential to inform readers about common emergencies during pregnancy in female dogs. As is often said, prevention is better than cure.

hypocalcemia

This drop in blood calcium is probably caused by the accumulation of this nutrient in milk, due to lactation. However, it  must be accompanied by a low availability of calcium in the diet to become a real problem.

Symptomatology

Calcium deficiency in the blood supposes its decrease in cell membranes, altering the membrane potential. The first symptoms generated are restlessness, wheezing, muscle spasms and hyperthermia. If not treated in time, emergency tetany (rigid and continuous contraction of the muscles) is triggered , producing death.

Treatment

The short-term goal is to restore blood calcium levels. For example, through the intravenous administration of specific solutions in the veterinary clinic.

The effect of this intravenous administration lasts only a few hours, so short-term maintenance therapy is needed. For this reason,  calcium supplementation is recommended late in pregnancy and during breastfeeding  to prevent and prevent relapses.

hyperglycemia

The increase in progesterone in the blood has an antagonistic effect on insulin, favoring the onset of hyperglycemia. In this way, the transport of glucose into cells is reduced. That’s why they talk about gestational diabetes in bitches.

prolonged pregnancy

A longer-than-normal pregnancy is a common concern for many guardians when delivery is delayed. In some cases, the fear is unfounded because the supposed delay is due to a discrepancy in the count between the day of mating and the day of delivery.

Still, in other situations, there is a pathological background. For example, a bitch whose previous birth was dystocic or a bitch considered pregnant by the guardian but who is not actually pregnant.

Symptoms and Treatment

In false alarms, the absence of symptoms should give us a clue that, in fact, everything is going well. But in other cases, the consequences of uterine inertia (inability of the uterus to initiate contractions) will be observed.

If fetuses are not expelled properly, they will die inside the uterus and begin to decompose. This will trigger a severe infection in the mother, who will have an abnormal, smelly vulvar discharge.

The worst of the emergencies during pregnancy in bitches: dystocia

A dystocic birth is a slow, laborious and more difficult than normal birth. In many cases, this complicates the survival of the female and offspring. Simply put, dystocia can be classified as:

• Non-obstructive, ie caused by primary uterine inertia. Common in mothers with very small or very large litters, but also in obese bitches or first-time mothers.
• Obstructive. In this case, uterine inertia occurs secondarily, due to an extrauterine cause. This may be related to race, to previous injuries to the mother or even to the fetuses.

Symptomatology

In non-obstructive dystocia, the symptoms are those of a prolonged pregnancy, with the peculiarity that labor usually begins. The problem is that there is no progress and the bitch is stuck in the dilation phase.

In cases of obstructive dystocia, the female enters the second stage of labor (the expulsion stage) and continues to exert force without results. If the animal’s effort is unproductive for more than 45 minutes,  consider that something is wrong and see the veterinarian.

Treatment

Females with primary uterine inertness may respond positively to exogenous oxytocin administration. This hormone is responsible, in a normal birth, for causing uterine contractions. However, if the cause is not entirely clear,  the condition of the animal and fetuses should be thoroughly evaluated before this is proposed.

In females with obstructive dystocia, the main objective of treatment will be to remove the obstruction:

• If the obstruction is caused by abnormal fetal posture, it can be corrected by manipulating the fetus.
• If dystocia is caused by a fetal or maternal abnormality, it may not be possible to correct it to allow for a normal delivery. In that case, a cesarean will also be required.

As we have seen in these lines, complications in the delivery of bitches can be different and with very different causes. Therefore, before any atypical situation during this delicate process, a  trip to the vet becomes critical.